A future without enough water? Together let’s ensure there’s always enough to go around

It sounds a silly question in a country like the UK, but it could become a reality if we don’t act now to save water. While Southern Water works to keep taps and toilets flowing all year round, you can help by using only what you need. That way, we can make sure everyone has enough for life’s essentials. It all makes a difference.

The water-stressed South East

Did you know the South East is officially water-stressed? The local population is growing and climate change is bringing hotter summers and more extreme weather, which means our water sources are being topped up less often. As a result, we have more people and less water.

We all count on water for so many things. But with 2.5 million people to supply, we all need to do our bit to make sure everyone has enough.

What you can do

Saving water has lots of perks. Little changes could save you money on your bills, reduce your carbon footprint and protect the rivers and habitats your water comes from.

There are some really simple things we can all do to save water. Here are a few ways you can use less:

  • Only boil what you need – If you’re making a cuppa, only fill the kettle with the amount you need – this can cut the energy cost of boiling your kettle by a third. In fact, if everyone did it, the UK could save more than £1 million a week.
  • Ditch the tub for a shower – Swap the bath for a shower. Remember, keep it to four minutes and you could save money on your yearly bill too. In fact, one minute less in the shower saves around seven litres a day – over a year that’s around £10 off your bill.
  • Turn off the tap – By turning off the tap while you brush your teeth, you can stop up to 8,000 litres of water going to waste and could save approximately £15 a year.
  • Soak your vegetables – Wash your vegetables in a bowl instead of under a running tap (which can waste up to nine litres a minute). You can save up to £51 a year, plus soaking makes them easier to peel. After, you can use what’s in the bowl to water your plants too.

What we’re doing

Here at Southern Water, we’re working hard to keep your taps and toilets flowing and we’re finding and fixing leaks on our 13,866km of water mains. Millions of litres of water are saved each day by the leak alarms on the water meters we’re fitting. Our level of leakage per property is one of the best in the sector – yet we’re not stopping there. We’ve committed to help customers reduce their average water use to 100 litres per person, per day by 2040. Meanwhile, we’ll reduce leakage by 40% in the next 20 years.

To learn more and discover extra ways to save, head to southernwater.co.uk/save-water